Details of the She Ling Tunnel

After his cousin finished his porridge and went to work, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room to catch up on his sleep.

When he woke up, he could hear moving sound effects. When he opened his eyes, the room was glowing with the fluorescence of a TV screen. The ceiling light was off.

He sat up and looked at the window. His aunt was sitting cross-legged in front of the television, playing with his PS5. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and tender forearms. Her delicate body swayed from side to side as she operated the controller.

Zhang Yuanqing yawned and got up to turn on the lights. He came behind his aunt and watched her play games.

She was playing a horror game. The style was otherworldly and the music was eerie. The main character was an ugly little man carrying a bloody axe. He fought his way through the crowd, killing everything in his path.

The television's fluorescent light was reflected in her limpid eyes. There was a hint of excitement in her round oval face.

"It's a good game for the night. It's pretty therapeutic," Aunt said without turning around.

Aunt had three hobbies: shopping, watching horror movies and playing horror games.

Traumatizing, you mean? This freakish woman… Zhang Yuanqing answered, "It's quite interesting."

Aunt turned and rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you being coy with me?"

She turned back to her game and said: "Actually, it's a heartwarming game. The ghosts and monsters in the picture are all in the little boy's imagination. He's a psychopath. In order not to be consumed by his inner demons, he fights hard. In the end, he fights his way out and sees the light. The ending is very touching."

As she spoke, Zhang Yuanqing had already poured himself a glass of water. As he drank, he responded, "Not a bad idea."

Aunt grunted and went on: "Every boss has a specific pattern. If you pay attention, even a little boy can defeat a terrifying demon. But terrifying images and music often make people fear and lose their calm judgment."

"Come and play too."

Zhang Yuanqing was in no mood to play games with his aunt. It had been almost twenty hours since he left the Spirit Realm. If the Spirit Realm opened again in another ten hours, death might be waiting for him.

He might as well think about what to do with the last dozen hours of his life and save himself the regret.

Call and scold his mother? Hug his aunt and cry? Singing and dancing with his uncle one last time?

He suddenly realized that he had no particular regrets or long-awaited wishes. As a college student with a reasonably well-to-do family, his life did not have many worries.

Only those who had experienced the vicissitudes of life would have many regrets that they could not part with.

"Oh, come and play!" Aunt whined, twisting her hips.

Looking at her beautiful back, Zhang Yuanqing's eyes gradually softened. He sat down beside his aunt and took the controller from her.

If he had only a dozen hours left in his life, it would be nice to play another game with her.

Under his aunt's nibbling and chattering guidance, Zhang Yuanqing cleared the game. He looked at the time and realized that it was already eleven o'clock at night.

"Not bad, not bad. Very talented."

Aunt sucked her fair fingers and patted her nephew's shoulder in praise. She also wiped her saliva on him.

"It's disgusting. It's filthy." Zhang Yuanqing looked disgusted.

"Bah, this is nectar. Don't be ignorant of your fortune," Jiang Yu'er said shamelessly.

"Nectar? How much for a catty?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed.

"I won't sell it for any price, but I can give you a few mouthfuls." Jiang Yu'er pouted, looking like she was about to drool on Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing leaned back to dodge.

Crack!

The doorknob turned. Grandma stood in the doorway, frowning at them both.

Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yu'er immediately sat up straight.

"Are you going to eat or not?" Grandma scolded. "You don't sleep at night but sleep during the day. When you wake up, you play games. If you want to behave differently from a human, why are you born here?"

Zhang Yuanqing put down the controller. "I know, I know. I'll eat immediately."

Grandma gave her daughter a cold sideways glance, and Aunt slunk back into her boudoir.

.....

Dinner was kept warm while his grandmother heated up the cold dishes. Zhang Yuanqing filled his stomach haphazardly and returned to his room. He summoned his inventory to confirm that the Corpse Suppression Talisman was still there.

Then, he examined his attribute panel.

As he prayed for good news from Li Dongze, he thought about the bits and pieces in the temple.

During the game with his aunt just now, he had a new realization.

Since the Spirit Realm was also a game, was there a pattern? If he found a pattern, even if he was a weak little boy, he might be able to clear it successfully.

While his thoughts were running wild, a piercing bell rang, causing Zhang Yuanqing's heart to stop.

He grabbed the phone by his bed. The caller ID showed an unknown number. He chose to answer.

"Hello, is this Zhang Yuanqing?"

A sexy voice came from the speaker. Zhang Yuanqing looked surprised and quickly asked:

"Did you get the information about the She Ling Tunnel?"

Guan Ya said, "Yes."

"The chief got more details for you. He asked me to e-mail them to you. I know you young people never check your e-mail, so I called to let you know."

As expected of the officials, joining them was the right choice… Zhang Yuanqing's mood instantly brightened. He resisted the urge to rush to the computer to check his emails and said sincerely,

"Thank Chief Li for me. Thank you, Sister Guan Ya. When I successfully complete the trial mission, I'll treat you all to a meal."

I hope you successfully complete the trial… Guan Ya sighed in her mind. After hesitating for a while, she said in a rare gentle voice, "Okay, I'll wait for you."

She had already read the information that had been sent to her by the Supreme Solitary Sect. After reading it, she felt only coldness and despair. No wonder Chief Li had been depressed all day.

In Li Dongze's heart, this newly recruited Night Wanderer was probably going to die in the trial mission.

After clearing the level, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his ergonomic chair and eagerly turned on his notebook to log into his mailbox.

He found an e-mail from Guan Ya among the jumble of unread mail and downloaded the attached document.

....

[She Ling Tunnel, Spirit Realm No. 0079. Difficulty Level: S. Type: Individual (Death Type)]

[Main Mission 1: Survive for three hours.]

[Main Mission 2: Explore Spirit Realm No. 0079.]

Just like my trial mission… Zhang Yuanqing perked up. This was a good sign. The closer the description was to his mission, the better.

[The scene in Spirit Realm No. 0079 is not the She Ling Tunnel, but an ancient Ming dynasty temple called the Goddess Sandao Temple of Mount Sandao.]

[According to my speculation, this goddess should be an extremely high-ranking Night Wanderer. No, perhaps she can no longer be called the Night Wanderer. It's not clear if such a peerless beauty really existed in the Ming dynasty. It's also possible that she was fabricated by the Spirit Realm.]

Then there was a long description of the deeds of Goddess Sandao. The content was consistent with what Zhang Yuanqing had seen in the temple.

He read on:

[The task of surviving for three hours is relatively simple. Initially, after reading the contents of the notebook, I was entangled by a vengeful spirit. Its characteristic was to continuously extract the Yang energy of living creatures until the target died.]

[The Night Wanderer has a natural suppression of spiritual bodies. I didn't spend much effort to exorcise it, but when I wanted to devour it, I encountered a huge obstacle. This might be the protection of the Spirit Realm against vengeful spirits.]

[Everyone who reads the notes will be cursed. They will be haunted by vengeful spirits until one of them dies. Any way to remove them will be short-lived. Removing a vengeful spirit once will give you about fifteen minutes of safety.]

[It is worth mentioning that the overall layout of the Mountain Temple is one main hall with two adjacent backyards. The candle in the main hall is an extremely powerful tool. It has the ability to suppress evil and purify. As long as one hides in the main hall, it means safety. The price is that the candle will eliminate the fear in one's heart. Bathing in candlelight for a long time will make one fearless. Being fearless in such a dangerous Spirit Realm is fatal. In addition, it cannot be moved or taken out of the Spirit Realm.]

[After staying in the main hall for half an hour, I suddenly heard a cry for help coming from the backyard. During this time, there were terrifying roars that didn't seem to be alive. After hesitating for a while, I decided to explore the backyard.]

The main hall is indeed a safe house. I personally verified this, but I didn't expect the source to be candles. I thought it was that beautiful mountain goddess…

The cry for help came from the big banyan tree. I didn't hear the roar. The courtyard on the east side is indeed terrifying… Zhang Yuanqing's heart trembled and he secretly gasped.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on reading. The rest of the information was very important. If he could learn about the other courtyard in advance, he could avoid danger when he explored.

[The big banyan tree is very dangerous. Don't look back, don't look back…]

[This banyan seems to have gained consciousness, but why did it ask for help? As for the terrible roar, I didn't find the source because its appearance interrupted my exploration. It was a pair of… red dancing shoes.]

[It didn't attack me immediately. Instead, it invited me to dance. Out of curiosity, I agreed to its invitation…]

[I can't remember its steps at all. It's too messy and disorganized. It's an impossible requirement for me, who has no dancing experience. No, even someone with dancing experience can't remember those steps. I failed and the red dancing shoes pursued me.]

[I made it back to the main hall without incident, but it broke two of my ribs. I think I got a good look at what it really was. It's an extremely scary tool. Its tracking ignores terrain and obstacles, and it won't stop until it gets there. Preliminary speculation is that it's a rule-type tool.]

[Unbelievable. There's actually a rule-type tool in a Trial Spirit Realm. I finally know why Qian Shou died on the Mountain Temple even though he clearly carried a tool. I also know why no one has ever cleared this Spirit Realm. What a joke. Those who can enter the She Ling Tunnel are either early-stage Level 1 Night Wanderers or ordinary people. How can they clear it?]

[For the moment, we don't know the reason for the Mountain Temple's decline, nor do we know what the secret regarding the rise and decline of thousands of years is. We hope to successfully complete the second main mission and bring back the truth for the organization.]

The information ended there. There was no follow-up.

Zhang Yuanqing knew that this Night Wanderer had most likely died in the second main mission.